Hammond: World must stop Iran's mad scheme to build a bomb

British Minister of Defense Philip Hammond told The Observer on Sunday that the world must tighten the noose on Iran over its "mad" nuclear plans to the point where the regime's survival is threatened by its own people.

"Nobody wants to cause the Iranian people to suffer unnecessarily but this mad scheme to build a bomb has to be brought to an end," Hammond told TheObserver.

He added that there is evidence that "the leadership is beginning to fracture" on the issue of its disputed nuclear program and under the weight of heavy sanctions.

"There is talk of a general trade embargo and of shutting down the remaining access that Iran has to international banking channels. We can definitely make the pain much greater," he told the British weekly newspaper.